Box-car-loading apparatus.



F. D. BUPFUM.

BOX CAB. LOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED PEBJO, 1903. RENEWED JULY 23, 1908.

Patented Mar. 2, 1909.

F. D. BUFPUM. BOX GAB LOADING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10, 1903. RENEWED JULY 2s, 1.908.

Patented Mar. 2, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

P. D. BUFFUM.

BOX GAR LOADING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10, 1903. RENEWED JULY 2a, 1908.

Patented Mar. 2, 1909.

' 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

wine's/s68.-

P. D. BUFPUM. BOX GAR LOADING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED r2110, 190s. RENEWED JULY 2a, 1908.

914,017. Patented Mar. 2, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK D. BUFFUM, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE JEFFREY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

BOX-CAR-LOADING APPA RATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented March 2, 1909.

Application filed February 10, 1903, Serial No. 142,7 70. Renewed July 23, 1908. Serial No. 445,044.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, FREDERICK D. BUFFUM, of Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and simultaneously at two different parts of the car, said parts beingbetween the center and theends of the car, so that the capacity of the loading apparatus is increased and the time required to load the car reduced to the minimum.

Means for loading coal into box-cars are desirable, because flat ears so-called are not always available, and further because box-cars render the coal more secure from theft in transit and protect it from the weather.

My invention as above indicated is embodied in an apparatus adapted to load both ends of the car at the same time, and it consists in the improvements which I Will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the drawings accompanying this specification and forming a part thereof,F1gure 1 represents a side elevation of a loading apparatusembodying my improvements, in position to receive coal from a chute and deosit the coal in the ends of the car, the latter lieing shown in cross-section. Fig. 2 represents a lan view of the loadin apparatus,

- arrange( to enter the car through one of the side doors. Fig. 3 represents a partial section on line .22 of Fig. 2, parts being shown in elevation. Fig. 4 represents an enlarged section of a portion of the apparatus, on line Fig. 5 represents a plan view of the portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 represents a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 1, showing the supports of the loader in section. Fig. 7 represents a section on line 77 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 represents a section on line 88 of Fig. I, looking downwardly.

The same reference characters indicate the sameparts in all the figures.

In the drawings,a represents a fixed supporting frame, to which are affixed parallel track-rails 1) extending .at right angles with the rails b of the railway-track supporting the car y" to be loaded.

0 represents a carriage, having wheels d aiiixed to axles 3 and adapted to run on the track-rails b, said carriage having means hereinafter described, whereby it may be moved endwiso upon the rails 71 in either direction, to project the forward end of the carriage into and withdraw it from the car. Upon the forward'end of the carriage is located the part of the apparatus hereinafter termed the loader, the same being indicated as a whole by the letter 0. Said loader in this embodiment of my invention com rises a hopper f supported upon a turn-ta )10 f resting upon a seat f" secured to the carriage. The hopper is provided with openings f? f at each end, for the delivery of coal to the car. The hopper supports two endless conveyers f 5 f adapted to convey two streams of coal from the center of the hopper outwardly to the delivering ends thereof, the coal being lelivcrcd to the hopper by a chute f inserted in one of the side doors of the car. The turn table. f is adapted to be partially rotated on the seat f 2 to cause the hopper to extend lengthwise ol' the car after it has been projected into the car, the hopper being adjusted so that it extends lengthwise of the carriage while entering the car, and cross wise of the carriage when adjusted to load the car. The conveyors are moved simultancously in the directions indicated by the arrows in Fig. 4, t. distribute the material, by the means next described.

Journaled in a vertical bearing formed in the seatf and occupying the center of rotation of the turn-table, is a vertical shaft g,

provided at its lower end with a sprockctwheel g, with which is engaged a chain 9 driven by sprocket-wheel g" 'on a vertical shaft g mounted in bearings upon the carriagc. The shaft 9 is provided wit'ha bevelgear 9 meshing with a bevel-gear g? on a k journaled in bearings at the end ortions of the ho per. Said shafts 71 8 have sprocket-w eels t 'i', which are engaged by sprocket-chains i engaging sprocket-wheels 2' upon inner supporting shafts i j ournaledin bearings on the turn-table. There are two pairs of chains '5 the chains of each pair carrying cross-pieces or'slats i one pair of chains and .its cross pieces constitutin the conveyer f while the other pair of c ains and its cross-pieces constitute the conveyer f". Each conveyor is preferably provided with outwardly projecting flanges or ribs j to engage the material and prevent it from gravitating on the inclined acting stretches to increase their distance from the inner supporting shafts, and .thus compensate for or take up wear in the sprocket-chains h for the purpose of preventing the excessive noise due to the rattle which would attend the' rapid movement of the chains if any considerable looseness existed at their joints, the chains being driven at high speeds, sometimes as high as sixteen hundred feet er minute. The ends of the shafts k proect into slots k in the sides of the hopper. In said slots are sliding bearings h interposed between the shafts h and the inner ends of the slots. Said boxes are adjustably supported by screws h engaged with tapped soc ets on the sides of the hopper. Rotation of the screws in the direction required to move the bearings and shafts outwardly will take up the wear of the chains. This is a feature of considerable importance, as the noise attending the rapid movement of a conveyor the chains of which are loose, is almost unbearable. It is obvious that this provision for taking up wear may be employed in connection with a loader having mt one conveyor.

'lho turn-table f has an annular flange 1', which rests upon the seat and is prevented from disphuzement, while permitted to rotate, by a ring y" secured to the seat by bolts 9', so that when the loader is introduced into the car at right angles to the latter, it may be turned so as to stand lengthwise of the ear, as shown in Fig. #4.

'lhe earriage e is provided with means for eonununirating motion from the motor g to one of the axles it of the earria e, for the purpose of moving the carriage along the rails b stantially equal amount is deposited connected b in either direction to project the loader into and withdraw it from the car. The means here shown comprise a gear 2 (Fig. 2) mounted on one of the axles 3 (termed the driving axle) and meshing with a pinion 4 on a shaft 5 journaled in bearings on the carriage. To one end of the shaft 5 is affixed a bevel-gear 6 meshing with twogears 7 8 loosel mounted upoi' the driving-shaft g and a apted to rotate said shaft 1n either direction when brought into engagement with a clutch 9 splined upon the shaft and operated b a lever 10 engaged with the clutch, a ham -lever 11, and a rod 15 connecting said levers (Fig. 2). .When the clutch 9 is engaged with the bevel gear '7, motion is communicated through said ear and the intermediate connections, to the driving-axle 3, and the carriagec is moved in one direction, the gear 8 rotating loosely. When the clutch 9 is engaged with the bevel-gear 8, motion is communicated in the opposite direction to thedriving axle, andthe carriage is-moved in the opposite direction, the gear 7 rotating loosely. Means are also rovided'for communicating motion from t e motor g to the chute f to project the same into and withdraw it from the car, the chute bein provided with wheels f 8 mounted on trao -rails f 9 extending at right angles with the rails 11 of the car-track. Said means are as follows: A drum 7c is mounted upon a shaft is journaled in bearings on the carriage and hazing a bevel-gear 6O meshing with loose .bevelgears 80 on the drivin -shaft. I member 90 between said bevel-gears is s lined to the driving-shaft and adapted to slide thereon and engage complemental clutch members on the gears 7 O 80, said sliding clutch member being movable by a lever 100 engaged therewith and a hand-lever 111 a rod 16 with the lover 100. A rope or chain 7c (Fig. 1) is attached at its ends to the drum 7c, and passes over a series of ulleys the arrangement of the pulleys an ro e being such that when the drum la is rotater in one direction, the chute is projected into the car, and when the drum is rotated in the opposite direction the chute is withdrawn from the ear. The rope It constitutes a flexible connection between the carriage and the chute. I have providcdan indicator, to enable the operator standing at the levers 11 111, which are at the opposite side of the car from the chute, to determine the Said indicator comprises a fixed vertical graduated scale Z located near the operator's station, and a plummet l movable vertically beside the scale Z and suspended from a rope attached to the chute and guided by pulleys f. The position of the plummet rela-- lively to the scale enables the operator to know-when the chute is sufficiently projected and retracted. Finally, means are provided A. clutch 12a extent of projection of the chute into the car.

i-clutch member m is moved by a these spaces,

for disconnecting the driving-shaft g from the conveyers when the carriage is being moved to project and withdraw the loader, thus making the conveyers inoperative. Said means as here shown comprise a ratchet clutch m having two members m m the member m being splined upon the shaft and adapted to beimoved longitudinally-of the same to engage the member m, which is loosely positively connected with the driving-gear g. The members m m are to be disconnected when the loader is being moved into and out of the car by the connection of the driving shaft with the driving-axle 3, the disconnection of said members rendering the connections between the driving-shaft and the conveyers ino erative. The clutch members m m are to e connected when the loader is in its operative position in the ear. The sliding lever m a hand-lever-m located beside'the levers 11 and.111, and a rod m connecting the hand- Iever 'm with the lever m It will be seen that the length of'the loader is limited by the width of the car, the total .length being necessarily such as to permit the loader to be given a quarter-turn after beinginserted in the car. With a car ,of avera' 6 length, considerable. spaces will existetween the ends of the loader and the ends of the car, as indicated in Fig. 8. By

varying the speed of the conveyers, the

coal can be deposited at various parts of centrifugal force being utilized to throw the coal outwardly from the ends of the conveyers more or less. The coal can therefore be placed as may be desired, the bulk being preferably deposited over the car-trucks. I I

I am aware of the fact that heretofore it has been .-proposed to construct box car loaders with material distributing conveyers arran ed to, operate in opposite directions so as to deliver the material to both ends of the car'simultaneously, but in the earlier ada ted to be .car loading mechanism forms of mechanisms of which Iam aware, the conveyers were either adapted to be adjusted within the car about horizontal axes arran ed in vertical planes parallel to the vertical longitudinal planes of the loader carriage orthe sections of the material distributing chute-ways were'adapted to 'be folded up relative to each other in order to permit the loader to be inserted into the car-and then unfolded for the purpose of distributing to both ends of the car coal delivered to them bya reciprocating mech amsm.

I believe I am the first to'provide in 'a box a longitudinally movable carriage having at its end which is inserted into the car .aturn tab e carrying oppositely arranged material distributingconveyers, the turn table being mounted on the driving-shaft but;

rotatable so as to bring the longitudinal lines of the conveyers into parallelism with the longitudinal lines of the carriage for the pur oso of inserting and withdrawin the loa er from a car, and the turn table eing rotatable after the conveyers are within the having attempted to set forth all the forms in which it may be embodied or all the modes of its use, I declare that what I claim is:

1-.- A box-car loader comprising a turntable, a movable support therefor, two endless conveyers supported by the turn-table and extending in opposite directions from its center of rotation, and means for simultaneously moving said conveyers in opposite directions.

2. A box-car loader comprising a turntable, a movable support therefor, two endless conveyers supported by the turn-table and extending in opposite directions from its center of rotation, means for simultaneously moving said conveyers in o posite directions, and a shield or deflector ocated over the center of the turn-table and adapted to distribute the material to the two conveyers.

3. A box-car loader comprising a turntable, a movable support therefor, a hopper supported by the turn-table and extending in opposite directions from its center of rotation, the hopper having delivery-openings at its ends, two endless conveyers in said hopper extending in opposite directions from points adjacent to the center of the turntable to said delivery-openings, and means for simultaneously moving said conveyers in opposite directions.

4. A box-car loader comprising a turntable, a movable support therefor, a vertical shaft extending through the center of the turn-table, means for rotating said-shaft, two endless c onveyers supported by the turntable and extending in opposite directions from said shaft, and connections between said conveyers and shaft, whereby motion is imparted from the shaft to the conveyers simultaneously, the conveyers being moved in opposite directions.

5. A box-car loader comprising a turntable, a movable support therefor, a vertical shaft extending through the center of the turn-table, means for rotating said shaft, two endless conveyors supported by the turn-table and extending in opposite directions from said shaft, said conveyers comprising outer horizontal supporting shafts, inner horizontal supporting shafts, and endless chains of strips or slats, inner horizontal driving-shafts geared to the. vertical shaft at opposite sides of thelatter, and connec- 6. A boxcar loader comprising a turn I table, a movable support therefor, a vertical shaft extending through the center of the said shaft, two

turn-table, means for rotatin by the turnendless' conveyers supporte table and extending in opposite directions from said shaft, said conveyors comprising outer horizontal supporting shafts, inner horizontal supporting shafts, and endless chains of strips or slats, inner horizontal driving-shafts geared to the vertical shaft at opposite sides of the latter, connections be- -tween'said outer shafts and the horizontal drivin shafts, whereby the conveyors "are move simultaneousl in opposite directions, and the vertical and inner horizontal drivingshafts. I

7. A box-car loader com rising a carriage, a turn-table at one end of t e carriage,loaddistributing means carried by the turntable and adapted to deliver material simultaneously at either side of said carriage, a drivinishaft on the carriage, and movable therewit a motor or ?he carriage for rotating said shaft, se arab e connections between the drivin -sha t and the load-distributing means, I the drivin -s t and an axle of the carriage whereby t e shaft may. be used alternately to operate the load-distributing means and to im el the carria e.

8. box-car loa er com rising a carriage,

a turn-table at one end of t e carriage, loaddistributin means carried by the turn-table, a driving-s aft on the carriage, means for rotating said shaft, a track for the carriage at one side of a railway-track su porting the car to be loaded, a chute movably sup orted at the o posite side of said railway-trac and means or imparting movement inreither d1- rection to the' chute from the driving-shaft on the carriage. g

9. A box-car loader comprising a carriage, a turn-table at one end of the carriage, loaddistributin means carried by the turn-table,

a driving-s haft on the carriage, means for rotating said shaft, a track for the carriage car to be loaded, a chute'movab at one side of a railway-track supporting the at the opposite side of said railway-track, a drum on the carriage, means for imparting movement in either direction from the driving-shaft to the drum, and a flexible connec-' tion between the drum and the driving-shaft,

whereby movement of the drum in either direction is caused to impart a corresponding movement to the chute.

10. A box-car loader comprising a car-',

riage, a turn-table at one end of the carriage, load-distributing means carried by the turn a shield or eflector located abovean se arable connections between ing-shaft,

y supported loaded, a carriage table, a driving-shaft on the carriage, means for rotating said shaft, a track for the carriage at one side of a railway-track support ing the car to be loaded, a chute movably supported at the opposite side of said railway-track, means for imparting movement in either direction to the chute from'the driving-shaft on the carriage, and an'indic'ator connected with the chute and operatively related to the carriage.

11. A box-car loader comprising a car-- riage,-a turn-table at one end of the carriage, load' distributing means mounted on said turn-table and 'adapted to simultaneously deliver material at either side of said carriage, a vertical shaft centrally mounted in said turn-table, a horizontal driving-shaft mounted on the carriage and movable therewith, means for rotating said driving-shaft, a train of power transmitting devices interposed between said driving-shaft and said vertical shaft and having in said train of devices a clutch, and means inter osed between said vertical shaft and sai load dis tributing. means for actuating the latter.

12. A box-car loader comprising a carriage having a driving one end of the carriage, load-distributing means carried by the turn-table, a drivingshaft on the carriage, and movable therewith, a motor on the carriage for rotating said shaft, separable connections between the driving-shaft and the loaddistributing means, reversible connections between'the driving-shaftand the driving axle of the car, said connections including clutch members, one of which is movable, and means for ad'- ju-sting said movable member to impel. the carriage either forward or backward, and to make the driving axle inoperative.

13. A box-car loader comprising a carriage, a turn-table at one end of the carriage, load-distributing means carried by the turntable,'a driving-shaft on the carriage, means for rotating said, shaft, a track for the carriage at one side of a railway-track supporting the car to be loaded, supported at the opposite side of said ra way-track, a drum on the carriage, reversible connections between the drum and the drive said connections including clutch members, one of which is movable, means for adjusting said movable member to rotate the drum either forward or backward and to make it inoperative, and a flexible connection between the drum and chute.

14. A box-car loading apparatus comprising a track at one side of with a railway-track sup orting the car to be turn-table on one endofthe carria e ada ted to be moved by the latter into and out 0 car, load-distributing means on the turn table, a chute movably supported at the opposite side of the car from the turn-table, a moaxle, a turn-table at mova le on said track, a,

the,

a chute movabily and at right angles tor on the carriage, separable connections between the motor and theload-distributing means organized to.operate the latter, separable connections between the motor and the chute organized to move the chute into and out of the car, and hand-controlled devices on the car for making each set ofconnections operative and inoperative.

15. In a box car leader, the combination with a longitudinally moving carriage, of a turn table mounted thereon, a pair of conveyers mounted in fixed relations to each other on the turn table and extending in opposite directions from its center ofrotation, and means for simultaneously actuating said conveyers.

16. In a box car loader, the combination with a movable carriage, of a turn table mounted thereon, a pan' of conveyers. supported on the turn table and extending in opposite directions from its center of rotation, a hopper supported by the turn table and within which the said conveyors are arranged, and means for actuating the conveyers.

17. In a box car loader, the combination with a movable carriage, of .a turn table mounted thereon, a pair of oppositely acting ,conveyers mounted in fixed relation to each other on the turn table, means for actuating the conveyers and means carried by the turntable for simultaneously directing material to each of said eonveyers, substantially as set forth.

' 18. In a boxv car loader, the combination with the carriage, the material distributing means thereon adapted to-be inserted into and withdrawn from the car through one side thereof and a power driven shaft on said carria e, of ,a chute adapted to be inserted into and withdrawn from the car through the opposite side thereof from said material distributing means, andto deliver material to the latter, and means for imparting movement in .either direction tothe said chute from the power driven shaft on the carriage.

19. Ina box car loader, the combination with a carriage and material distributing means thereon adapted to be inserted into and withdrawn from a car through one side thereof, of a power driven shaft, a chute arranged to enter the car on. the opposite side from that through which said material distributing means enters and adapted to deliver material to the latter, means for imartim movement to the carria e in either b b direction from said power driven shaft and means for imparting movement in either direction to the chute from said power driven shaft, substantially as set forth.

20. In a box car loader, the combination with a carriage and material distributing means thereon adapted to be inserted into and withdrawn from a car through one side thereof, of a chute adapted to be inserted into.

and withdlawn from the car through the opf posite side thereof and to deliver material to the said material distributing means within the car, a power driven shaft on the carriage and means for imparting movement in either direction to the said chute from said power driven shaft.

21. In a box car loader, the combination of a carriage, material distributing means thereon adapted to be inserted into and withdrawn from the car, a motor on the carriage, owcr transmitting mechanism interposed iietween said motor and said material distributing means, a chute for directing material to the said distributing means when within the car, and a train of power transtor and said chute for moving the latter relative .to the carriage.

22; In a box car loader, the combination of a carriage, material distributing means thereon adapted to be inserted into and withdrawn from the car, a motor on the carriage,

ower transmitting mechanism inter osed iietween said motor and said materia distributing means, a chute for directing mate.- rial to the said distributing means -when within the car, and a train of power transmitting devices interposed between said motor and said chute, including a flexible cable and a winding drum and at aptcd to move the, chute relative to the carriage.

23. In a box car loader, the combination of a distributing mechanism arranged to simultaneously deliver material to either end of a car, a carriage for moving said distributa car, a motor on said carriage, power transmitting mechanism including a clutch element interposed between said motor and the carriage driving wheels, and owcr transmitting mechanism including ac utch inte osed between said motor and said materifii distributing mechanism.

24. In a box car loader, the combination of a material distributing mechanism, a carriage for said material distributing mechanism adapted to move it into and withdraw it from a car, a motor on said carriage having its armature shaft arranged longitudinally thereof, a main driving shaft in axial alinement with said armature shaft, power transmitting mechanism interposed between said driving shaft and said material distributing mechanism, and power transmitting means interposed between said drive shaft and the drivin wheels for said carriage.

25. in a box car leader, the combination of a material distribo ting mechanism, a car riage for said material distributing mechanism adapted to move it into and withdraw it from a car, a motor on said carriage having its armature shaft arranged longitudinally thereof, a main driving shaft in axial alinemitting mechanism interposed between said mitting devices interposed between said moment with said armature shaft, power trans-' ing mechanism into and withdrawing it from connecting its other end with said material riage for said material distributing mechanism, and ower transmitting means including a clutc interposed between said drive shaft and the driving wheels of the said carriage.

26. In a box car loader, the combination of a material distributing mechanism, a carsaid material distributing mechanism adapted to move it into and withdraw it from a car, a motor on said carriage having its armature shaft arranged longitudinally thereof, a main driving shaft in axial alinement with said armature shaft, power transmitting means interposed between said drive shaft and said material distributing mechanism, and power transmitting means including a clutch interposed between said drive shaft and the driving wheels of the said carriage.

27. In a box car loader, the combination of a material distributing mechanism,, ,'a car-v riage for said material distributing mechanism adapted to move it into and withdraw it from a car, a motor on said carriage having its.armature shaft arranged longitudinally thereof, a main driving shaft in axial alinement 'withsaid armature shaft, means for connectingone end of the said driving shaft with said armature shaft, and means for connecting its other end with said material distributing mechanism. 28. In a box car loader, the combination of a material distributing mechanism, a carriage for said material distributing mechanism adapted to move it into and withdraw it from a car, a motor on said carriage hav ing its armature shaft arranged longitudinally thereof, a main driving shaft in axial alinement with said armature shaft, means for connecting one end of the. said driving shaft with said armature shaft, means for driving shaft and distributing mechanism, and a train of power transmitting devices interposed between said driving shaft and the driving wheels of the carria e. V

29. In a box car oader, the combination with a movable carriage of a motor mounted on said carriage, power transmitting mechanism interposed between said motor and the carriage driving wheels, a hopper supported upon said carriage and adapted to be inserted into and withdrawn from a car through one side thereof, material distributing means arranged within said hopper, and power transmitting mechanism interposed between said motor and said distributing means.

30. In a box car loader, the combination of an endless conveyer arranged to be disposed longitudinally of a car to deliver material thereto, and having a drive shaft at. its upper outer end, a carriage upon which said conveyor is supported and by means of which it is inserted into and withdrawn from the car, a motor on said carriage, a main drive shaft connected to said motor, and an endless chain driving connection between said main drive shaft and the conveyer driving shaft.

31. In a box car loader, of a longitudinally movable carriage, a material receiving hopper supported upon said carriage and arranged to be inserted into and withdrawn from a car, material distributing means mounted within said hopper and arranged to deliver material simu1taneously at opposite ends of the car, a main drive shaft on the carriage, and power transmitting mechanism interposed between said main drive shaft and said material distributing means.

32. In a box ear loader, the combination of 'a longitudinally movable carriage, a material receiving hopper rotatably mounted on said carriage and arranged to be inserted into and withdrawn from a car, material distributing means mounted within said hopper and arranged to deliver material simultaneously at opposite ends of the car, a main drive shaft on the carriage, andpower transmitting mechanism interposed between said maindrive shaft and said material distribututing means. I

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in resence of two witnesses.

REDEBICK D. BUFFUM.

Witnesses E. R. DUNN, Bnssn V. CAnDEn.

the combination I 

